Just a word now and then about working in a prison and for the Department Of Corrections. Plus a good bit of ranting here and there.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Odd Movements

As of the weekend, we have been on the winter schedule for movements. For those of you who don't work here, let me explain a moment. Those of you who know what I'm talking about, just skip the next couple of paragraphs. Bear with me.

In the spring and summer, while the daylight lasts longer, the offenders get open yards in the evening. That means that while the yards are open they can come and go as they wish. They can go to the gym or the library or out on the yard or down to the chapel and they can wander about as they wish. Until it gets dark enough and the Sarge closes the yards. Then they have to go back inside their housing units.

It's a little different in fall and winter. In the evenings there are no open yards and we have what are called "controlled movements". Once an hour. They usually only get a couple of those a night. When chow is over and we are ready for movement, usually at or around 6:00 pm, the control center calls a five minute recreation movement. That means that during the next five minutes, anybody who wants to go to the gym can go there. This movement is for the gym and nowhere else.

After all of the offenders are in the gym and the yard is clear, they call a secondary movement. Also five minutes long. During secondary is when they can go to the chapel or the library or to work, wherever that is. You cannot go to they gym during the secondary movement.

The first week or so of this is always a little screwed up. They neglect to tell the offenders that the first movement is for rec only so we have guys trying to go to work or to the chapel at that time. They either get sent back to the house or stuck in the gym. Some people just don't care and send everybody out on the rec movement. It gets to be a cluster frack.

And for those of us who are somewhat new to this whole controlled movement thing it's a little confusing as well. Being down in the Hive since Adam was a lad, I never really had to deal with such nonsense. I got inmates when they sent them to me and I released them when i was told to. The rest of the camp was like another world.

So anyway I'm out on A-yard tonight. Just a little lost. Trying to get a grip on the whole movement deal and how different A-side is from B-side. Sgt Buck is growling because things are screwed up, as usual, and he has a couple of officers (like me) who aint got a grip on it.

And I have to take a moment right now and apologize to Miz Archer. Yes dear, I was on A-side and I didn't come down to visit. I am sorry. But in truth I was so lost and trying to keep Buck from skinning me alive that it just slipped my mind. Captain Jabba was out on A-side riding Buck over something stupid and the bad mood was rolling downhill.

And guess who was at the bottom of the hill? Yup, it was me.

I am sorry, luv. I didn't mean it.

So anyway I let a couple of the inmates walk past me during the rec movement. Buck goes flying down there on the cart and asks them where they're going. To the chapel.

"Oh hell no, you aint!" he roars, making me flinch. "You're going to the gym! That's the only place you can go, so get to the gym!"

"Can we go back to the house?"

"No, dammit! Get to the dang gym now and I don't want to hear any more lip!"

Oh snap. Then Buck drives up on the cart and starts giving me the hairy eyeball. What could I say or do? I just said "Yup, I did it. I let them by. It won't happen again."

I got the hang of it a little and spent most of the night trying to be useful and invisible at the same time. And if you don't think that's bloody difficult, just try it some time.

On the whole, I didn't screw anything up any worse than anybody else did, so once again I guess I can count this night as a success in the ledger books.

Tomorrow, which by the way is Sylvia Plath Day (She was a Pulitzer Prize winning poet), I will be back in the com room on familiar ground once again.

Thank freaking goodness for that. At least there I know what to do, for the most part.